Comments
from listeners during RFPI's 10th Anniversary "Fiesta on the Air"

RFPI's traditional Fiesta on the Air was extended to a
marathon six hours in honor of the Tenth Anniversary. Calls from listeners were received
nonstop during the six hour special broadcast.

"I've been with you since you started, as you may
well know. I've been listening since the day you first hit the airwaves." Nobel,
Tennessee

"I'm sitting here in my apartment by myself and yet
just listening to y'all I can literally feel the energy, like I'm part of something really
big and it's really cool to be a part of this...I appreciate the mix of political and
spiritual programming. I find that in a lot of left-wing media there seems to be this sort
of artificial split that happens and the spiritual people don't really deal with the
politics that much, and the political people vice versa. It's really refreshing to be able
to notice that y'all are covering that whole spectrum...As far as the next ten years, I'd
say definitely keep the interactive stuff going. Maybe more talk programming if possible
to sort of strengthen that sense of community worldwide. I think one of the difficulties
in the corporate cultures around the world is that there are a lot of us out there who
feel particularly isolated and it's wonderful to be able to hear programs - it's even more
wonderful to be able to talk to people of like mind...You're human on the air and you're
not really stilted like a lot of people - you laugh. It's like sitting in my living room
with some friends." Pete, Wisconsin

"I've been listening since the beginning - at least
since the first week or month. I have something I'd like to say particularly to the new
listeners. Most shortwave stations - be it Voice of America or BBC, or some of the private
stations in the U.S. - if a part blows they call up Continental Electronics, they call up
RCA, they call up Harris and say, "send me a final tube," "send me a
relay" or "send me a capacitor." Or they call up the antenna tower people
and they say get out here and fix that tower. But when something blows at Radio For Peace,
James and Joe and the rest of them get the circuit books out and try to figure out,
"How can I hand wire this part for the transmitter?" Or James and Bobby get up
on the antenna. It's all the same people who sit and talk who do the repair and there is
nobody to call up. There is no transmitter company to come and fix it. It's done by all of
you who sit behind the microphone and I'd just like everyone to know that...Looking
forward to the next ten years I would like to see Radio For Peace's audio on the
internet." Tim, Alabama

"I would just like to say I really enjoy your local
programs - news of the region, of Latin America. I really like that kind of thing."
Doug, Ohio

"Congratulations on your tenth anniversary. I think
you do a great job, have lots of great programs - and keep on doing what you've been
doing." Grace, Florida

"I was just calling to let you know I'm a first time
listener and I heard you guys on the air and to let you know you're coming in loud and
clear in Wichita, Kansas." Kirk, Kansas

"I appreciate your persistence and your
dedication..." Nancy, Alabama

"Apart from the mundane stuff that you guys of course
know that you need - backup a.c. and a little bit more mechanically robust array like a
curtain array - what I'd really like to see in the future, and I've heard it being bandied
about in the last couple of weeks, is dual streams. I can really see us being able to fill
more than one stream with programming." Kris, Montana

[Note: dual streams refers to broadcasting different programming on separate transmitters
at the same time or "parallel programming"]

"Congratulations on ten years. I feel like I've
missed out. I've only been listening for about 15 months and I feel like I've missed out
on 8 years...I was camping one night and decided to buy a shortwave radio because I was
out of the city. I bought it, tuned in your signal, loved what I was hearing, and to be
honest, I've only programmed two buttons on this thing. One's for 7.385 and the other for
15.050. I haven't tried to get anybody else...I'm counting on you. Keep it up."
Mark, Ohio

"My whole family has grown accustomed to hearing the
station on. Even when we listen to some of our local public radio stations it's not
unusual for me to be following some issue, and - even when I'm listening to the local
station - just walk over to the amplifier and hit the RFPI button and switch over to
something more rational...Thank you for bringing some real discussions to us and something
we can rely on." Jerry, North Carolina

"I receive you well and I listen to you virtually
every day and try to keep up on all your weekly programs. To me having a community radio
station that is global and that digests and broadcasts just the best of what you can hear
on public radio everywhere and, you know, all the other things you broadcast that you
can't really hear anywhere else - this is just an indispensable service for
everybody." Mark, New Mexico

"I've listened to your show for the last two years or
so...[I'd like to see programs on] more indigenous peoples issues if possible, whether its
in the Americas, Asia, or Africa. Also endangered wildlife issues. There's a nasty
wildlife trade out there for parts - like bear parts, tiger parts, rhino parts - in Asia
and this country. Its an awful trade and its more profitable than the drug trade...You
people are doing a great job. You're such a welcome relief from the right-wing I sometimes
run into on other stations..." Bill, Massachusetts